North Cestrian School
Dunham Road, Altrincham, WA14 4AJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE HAMBLIN EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr L R Bergin
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Altrincham and Sale West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 755
- Pupils on roll
- 799
- URN
- 143104
- Local authority
- Trafford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01619281856
About this school
North Cestrian School is a secondary academy in Altrincham. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 799 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 20 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 137 | 153 | 148 |
| Attainment 8 score | 49.9 | 55.0 | 54.2 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.08 -0.18 to +0.34 | +0.49 +0.25 to +0.74 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 50% | 56.2% | 60.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 73.9% | 85.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 26% | 19% | 18.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.6 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How North Cestrian School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Trafford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49.9 | 50.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 55 | 51.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 54.2 | 51.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 757 |
| 2023/24 | 779 |
| 2024/25 | 777 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How North Cestrian School compares
North Cestrian School ranked 9th of 18 secondary schools in Trafford for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 86% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54.2 | 7.9% | 17.8% | 799 | — |
| Loreto Grammar School | 73.7 | 3.9% | 5.5% | 1,075 | 0.1 miles |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Girls | 80.6 | 4.9% | 6.3% | 1,381 | 0.5 miles |
| Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College | 48.9 | 7.8% | 14.8% | 1,638 | 0.6 miles |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Boys | 78.5 | 4.5% | 5.7% | 1,432 | 0.8 miles |
| Wellington School | 57.3 | 6.6% | 11.3% | 1,536 | 1.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 17.76%
- English as an additional language
- 28.2%
- Overall absence
- 7.93%
- Persistent absence
- 21.23%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Loreto Grammar School0.1 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
-
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls0.5 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
-
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College0.6 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
-
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys0.8 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
-
Wellington School1.0 miles
Secondary · Altrincham
Other schools in Altrincham
North Cestrian School ranks 6th of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Altrincham.
- Altrincham College Secondary
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Secondary
- Altrincham Grammar School for Girls Secondary
- Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College Secondary
- Loreto Grammar School Secondary
- Saint Ambrose College Secondary
- Wellington School Secondary
- Altrincham CofE (Aided) Primary School Primary
- Bollin Primary School Primary
- Bowdon CofE Primary School Primary
- Broadheath Primary School Primary
- Broomwood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does North Cestrian School teach?
- North Cestrian School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Altrincham.
- Who is the headteacher of North Cestrian School?
- The headteacher of North Cestrian School is Mr L R Bergin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was North Cestrian School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected North Cestrian School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is North Cestrian School?
- North Cestrian School has 799 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is North Cestrian School full?
- North Cestrian School has capacity for 755 pupils and 799 on roll (106%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is North Cestrian School a faith school?
- No. North Cestrian School has no designated religious character.
- Is North Cestrian School a selective school?
- No. North Cestrian School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs North Cestrian School?
- North Cestrian School is part of THE HAMBLIN EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have North Cestrian School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 49.9 in 2022/23 and 54.2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does North Cestrian School rank locally?
- North Cestrian School ranked 9th of 18 secondary schools in Trafford for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 86% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is North Cestrian School's absence rate?
- North Cestrian School's overall absence rate is 7.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are North Cestrian School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, North Cestrian School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 2 July 2026.